Assam’s 3rd Taj Hotel to rise near Tata Semiconductor plant on defunct Nagaon Paper Mill land

Guwahati, Sept 5: Assam will soon have its third Taj Hotel near the upcoming TATA semiconductor plant in Jagiroad, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Wednesday.

The move aims to enhance hospitality and accommodation options for visiting officials and industrialists linked to the plant.

The Assam cabinet has approved the lease of 6 acres of land from the now-defunct Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Nagaon Paper Mill property on the northern side of NH-37 to Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL).

The lease, granted for a period of 60 years at government-approved rates, is expected to stimulate further development in the area.

Earlier in December 2022, Assam Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah had announced that the cabinet had greenlit the creation of a satellite township at Jagiroad on the former Hindustan Paper Corporation campus.

“The satellite township will be established on 550 acres of land, following consultations with local residents,” Baruah had said.

The Nagaon Paper Mill, once renowned for its pioneering use of Kamyr Continuous Digester technology, has been non-operational since October 2017 and is now undergoing liquidation due to outstanding debts.

The mill’s closure has had a severe impact on its employees, many of whom have faced extreme hardships, including prolonged salary arrears that have lasted 65 months.

Despite a proposed relief package of ₹700 crore by the government in 2021 to address unpaid employee wages, the situation remained dire.

In response to the ongoing crisis, the Assam government took over the assets of the defunct Nagaon and Cachar mills from Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (HPCL) on March 28, 2022.